Wednesday, 26 April 2017

I made a birthday meringue for an afternoon tea yesterday and let me tell you, it's been a while since I baked any cakes. I forgot how much work was involved. And it was quite funny because I spent most of the morning looking for a whisk attachment for my beater- and I made a big fuss about it, looking everywhere, searching high and low, and even went through all the kitchen drawers and was at my wits end (and about to go to the store to buy a new one) when I found the missing whisk in my apron pocket. How ridiculous! And the worst thing was that it was my DH who pointed it out to me.

Needless to say, I needed a cup of coffee and a few minutes quiet after that episode!

Still, all's well that ends well and yes, it was delicious. I don't think things get much better than a crisp meringue with lots of whipped cream and mellow strawberries.

Today I'm going to finish my Secret Garden Block 3 - that's the one with the cat peeking through the foliage. I am loving all the stunning blocks being made up and shown off over in the Group, it's a lot of fun to drop in and see what's going on as we have members working on everything: from Love Entwined to Tickled Pink to Hazel to Diamond Hill. It feels like everyone is in a hugely productive mode at the moment. Sometimes I go into the Group and I can't believe how much progress has been made from one day to the next. It's a real motivator.

Tuesday, 25 April 2017

The Secret Garden Cats that have been created over in the Group are all gorgeous- in fact, we even have a tiger in the mix! For my own SG Cat, I couldn't decide what fabric to settle on, which is completely typical for me. Instead, I decided to draw and colour my cat as I went along - a kind of adult colouring in book version of applique. They're all the rage right now, aren't they? Why not just play around and let the crayons decide?

I actually thought I might have a white cat, but somehow ended up with a blue gray-blue cat.

I traced the outline from the pattern and then painted in the shading I wanted. When I was finished, I turned the edges of my plain background fabric, clipping the seams to keep them neat and tight.

And here is my finished feline! She looks a bit odd without a mouth or whiskers, but this is the area that will be covered with a bloom and I will stitch in whiskers later when everything else is in place.

I've been spending my evenings in front of the TV making up the bloom heads, so I will show you my progress with those once I get them all down.

How are you getting along with your SG Cat??

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”

Wednesday, 19 April 2017

A few years ago I realized that I was spending far too much money on paint brushes that I could somehow never locate. Whenever I needed them, they were nowhere to be found. I'm sure I left a few at workshops here and there, but the rest simply vanished without explanation and I wasn't happy at the constant replacement expense. Back then I was buying them after much fussing and deliberation in art stores. I thought that if I put together a 'set' I would have many long years of enjoyment from them and that, this way, it would be worth the investment. Ha!

Since then I've purchased paint brushes everywhere - the supermarket, paper shops, toy stores, newsagents and discount variety shops. I have a whole assortment of them now and most of them work perfectly fine for my uses - which is fabric painting. My latest collection came from Ebay and it's actually better that the expensive art set I had beforehand. But expensive or not, I have had enough of constantly replacing them, so I've finally gone ahead and sewn up my brush roll WIP. This is one of many 'little' projects that I know would be so useful if I actually got around to doing them...but usually I leave it for a few years before I bother. Well, no matter how long it took, I have zipped up several for my different brush sizes and grades and even offered to make my DD a cosmetic brush roll (which was rejected). Yes, it's been a productive WIP day.

Done!

And just in the nick of time too, I'm taking a class this weekend and expect to put them to use with some fabric touch ups. For once, I'll be the student and not the teacher so I am glad to take a back seat and allow myself to play around a bit.

Thursday, 13 April 2017

Once you've decided whether to opt for the 16 x 16 inches or 20 x 20 inches block, it's time to make a start on your block. Here's how I made my own Tickled Pink.

'Map out' your block before sewing anything and make sure you understand the pattern arrangement. It's really important to follow the grain indicated on the pattern pieces to prevent buckling and warping as you sew your pieces together too, so pay attention to these pattern details. I think it makes a real different whenever you are piecing stars to pay extra attention to grain lines.

Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Tickled Pink is a one block beauty - you simply decide what size block you want to make and then make it, sixteen times. Voila! Isn't it striking? I love the satisfaction of a perfectly pieced block and a touch of applique for the stems and leaves adds a nice finishing touch too.

I've been meaning to make this quilt for years and right now I'm feeling completely smug that I've managed to cut and bundle the entire quilt up into stages to make it an ongoing 'slow quilt' for those times when I'm in the right mood and place for an 'installment.' This is one of those quilts that's been in my design folio for years and I am over the moon to be finally sharing it with you today.

Can you believe it's Easter already? This month feels like it really snuck up on me. Today I'm getting the dining room ready and generally tidying up (and putting away all my fabric piles from around the house) so that the weekend and meals to come can flow as smoothly as possible. I'm so pleased to have finished my latest pattern, Tickled Pink, just in time for the Easter weekend.

Be sure to check back tomorrow when I post my step by step guide to making the Tickled Pink block.

Tuesday, 11 April 2017

I've been thinking about a Slow Quilting project for ages. Well, yes, I might have hundreds of UFO's on my WIP pile, but that's different. I wanted a specific project all cut up and ready for me to pick up and put down as when the mood and location suited. And I had just the pattern in mind too - a classic pieced block repeated over and over to assemble a gorgeous quilt top. And I was thinking about this project on and off when I saw the perfect fabrics for it:

This range is Marseille by Robyn Pandolph. It's much brighter when viewed on screen, almost neon actually, so opening the package that arrived late last week was a bit of a surprise - but a good one. These tones are gorgeous. I've been using a lot of Robyn Pandolph fabric just lately, I really love the colour combinations, especially in Marseille. Well, the minute I saw it I knew it was the perfect range for my Slow Quilting Quilt which I've named Tickled Pink because I'm hopelessly in love with pink and green colour schemes in all their tonal variations and also because the block itself just looks tickled pink, if you know what I mean!

So I've gone ahead and made a block which is stunning and now I'm all excited to have something to pick up and put down. It's a great project and yes, I really am going to take my time and do it whenever the occasion arises. Today I finished all the cutting for the entire quilt. I really think packaging up the various stages is the best way to take on Slow Quilting. Now I have bundled each block with all it's bits and pieces and I'll just grab each block at a time, until I've completed 16 of them sometime in the future.

I'm so pleased with myself today. I got this project all cut up and bundled and I did it just in time for Easter too. Phew! What a week it's been.

If you're interested in your own Slow Quilting Project, come back tomorrow as I'll be putting my Tickled Pink pattern up for sale. And like always, it will be heavily discounted for 48 hours to allow everyone who's interested in it an opportunity to have it for the price of a cup of coffee.

Wednesday, 5 April 2017

I have been spending every spare minute working on my pattern designs - I have a huge folio of designs, so whenever I have a chance, I work at getting another one done. But today, I'm all inspired to get my own Secret Garden Part 3 started. I've seen the stunning progress shots over in my BOM Group and now I'm all eager to add my own up there. Yesterday I posted Bunny's block pic with the ginger cat and today I'm deciding between a blue or white cat. Decisions, decisions.

Welcome to My Blog

Hello, I'm Esther: a textile artist & quilter. This blog is where I share my original Free BOMs, work on projects, talk quilts and experiment with new techniques.

Find my Quilt Archives at the top of this page (and don't forget to add your own linky if you've made any of my quilts yourself) or leave a comment on the Quilt Archive Page and let us know what corner of the world you're in, it's always so nice to see how widespread our Group is!

Each Wednesday you're invited to take part in my Weekly WOWs linky party as bloggers around the world drop in to share their stash busting efforts.

And don't forget to join my BOM Groupwhere you can become a member and take part in my BOMs for free.

I'm so glad you're here

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Wednesdays are WOW days Linky Party

Join us each Wednesday as we share our WIPs, talk techniques and inspiration. If you don't have a blog, share your own WOW by leaving a comment each Wednesday.

Elmer's Disappearing Purple Glue

Here it is - my daily essential applique glue everyone always asks me about. I always buy it in the 6gram smaller size as it's easier to use in applique. I used to think this glue was 'starch' and have since been corrected on that point - but it's still my staple. It's effective yet washes away like a dream and doesn't gum up my machine when sewing.

2017 Mainly Applique Mystery BOM

Just Finished! Download NOW! My Free 2017 Block Of The Month!

It's the FINAL month of my Free BOM 2017. Diamond Hill will run Jan - July 2017 and the finished size is 72 x 72 inches. This is a Free BOM and you can download the pattern over in my BOM Quilt Group on Facebook or right here on my blog, on the 15th of each month. CLICK THIS IMAGE to go to the Diamond Hill ARCHIVE.

Have You Joined Yet?

This is the place to download current free BOM patterns, chat with others and share your ideas, tips and pics as you make any of my quilts! My Free BOM Quilt Group is located over on Facebook, click the image to apply to join. Membership is free. Click this image to join.

Start a New BOM Today!

These quilts are perpetual BOMs - you can start any time, and receive your blocks via email each month.

Sweet 2016 Wall Hanging BOM

This gorgeous quilt is ready and waiting for you to make a start! Click the image to read more about Sweet 2016!

Oma's Blues

Finished Size: 76 x 76 inches

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Looking for one of my quilts?

Love Entwined:1790 Marriage Coverlet

Make it month by month via subscription or purchase the pattern outright. Finished Size: 96 x 96 inches.CLICK THIS IMAGE to go to the Love Entwinedl ARCHIVE.

Thursday Flowers

Red December

Finished Size: 74 x 74 inches. CLICK THIS IMAGE to go to the Red December ARCHIVE.

12 Days of Christmas

Finished Size: 42 x 51 inches. CLICK THIS IMAGE to go to the 12 Days of Christmas ARCHIVE.

Glad Tidings

A bed quilt, Throw Quilt and Table Runner

Get Together & Quilt!

Reading, Sharing & Enjoying...

These are the books I love, rely on and know to be worth their space on my shelf.

I am currently downsizing but these books are my 'essentials' and will stay with me forever. I'm often asked which books I recommend for applique and quilting (and knitting) and I know I've scribbled titles down for people whenever I am out and about, so I'm really happy to share my bookshelf titles here.

I buy a lot of my books at the Book Depository and have done for the last 5 years, I definitely recommend them as a bookseller.

'Simply Successful Applique' by Jeanne Sullivan

This is a book I am always recommending - in my opinion its the only applique book a quilter needs. I've also had the pleasure of getting to know Jean online and she is as generous and thoughtful as this book is thorough and engaging. If you don't already own this title, why ever not?!

'QuiltMaking by Hand' by Jinny Beyer

I must have recommended this book at least 100 times in the last 10 years, it's an essential read for all quilters